New Hampshire SPCA responds to calls about pet safety

STRATHAM — The New Hampshire SPCA has been receiving an unusually high number of calls pertaining to dogs left outside without shelter during the recent extremely cold weather.

Pet owners should be advised that pets left outside in extreme temperatures without food, water and shelter are at risk of hypothermia, frostbite and even death. Furthermore, it is the law.

Dogs and cats feel the effects of winter weather as much as we do and are too often cast outside to weather the storm due to misconceptions that the fur on their backs will insulate them from suffering. Short-haired dogs are particularly at risk and should never be left outside without supervision. It is extremely important for people to bring their pets indoors when the temperatures drop to extreme cold.

Additionally, New Hampshire state law requires domestic animals being left outside to be provided adequate shelter. Pet owners can face cruelty charges if their animals are left to suffer and/or die from being left out in the cold.

Shelter is described under RSA 644:8 as “a natural or artificial area which provides protection from the direct sunlight and adequate air circulation when that sunlight is likely to cause heat exhaustion or a dog tied or caged outside. Shelter from the weather shall allow the dog to remain clean and dry. The shelter shall be structurally sound and have an area within to afford the dog the ability to stand up, turn around, and lie down and be of proportionate size as to allow the dog to retain its body heat” The last part is the most important in winter months.